Snap-fastener.



J. P. WILLIAMS.

SNAP FASTENER,

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 1911.

1,044, 1 1 1 Patented Nov. 12, 1912.

. 1N vENToR WITNESSES y /c//zzfavlawf A TTORNE Y ITED STATES yl-JAIENT OFFICE.

JAMES P. WILLIAMS, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T THE DE LONG HOUK AND EYE COMPANY, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA.

romain Specification of Letters Patent.

Application iiled July 20, 191.1. Serial No. 639,626.

To all 'whom 'it may concern.: l

Be it known that I, JAMES P.- WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia,v county of Philadelphia, State of ljennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inl Snap- Fasteners, of which the following is a speciication. v

My invention relates to improvements in snap' fasteners of the character in which a socket member` and a ball member are employed. y

More particularly it relates to the' construction of the socket member of the fastener. Y Y v @ne ofthe objects of my invention is to provide a fastener in which'the socket member is of such a construction that it is strong and durable. Y

. Another object is to provide a socket member which is adapted to hold'iirmly and strongly against the' sides of the ball portion of the ball memberof the fastener but which at the Sametime in use may be .placed in engagement with and disengaged from the ball with readiness and facility.

A further object ,of my invention is the production of the socket member of a fastener from-a single plate of metal which is soshaped andconstructed that two portions thereof are arranged in opposed relation to each other and in which the. spring action required' to hold the ball of the coperating ball member is involved in the integrality, of the structure.

A still further object of my invention is to construct the socket member of the -fastener so that it will not only be strong and durable and possess the quality of closely gripping and rmly holding the ball member of the fastener but' will possess the qualit-y of thinness and consequent neatness in appearance.

Other objects and advantages of my in-v ball portion. 1

, In the drawings z-Figure 1 is a plan view of one side of the'socketmember of the fastener with thehead of the ball member'projecting through the opening therein; Fig. 2 isa bottom plan view of the ball member of a' snap fastener with the ball projecting through the opening in the socket member of the fastener and showing the edge or rim of the latter projectingbey'ond the edge of the said ball member; Fig. 3 isa transverse sectionalA view on the line 3.-'3 yof Fig. 1; Fig.l'4. is 'a plan view of one side of the socket member of the fastener; and Fig. 5 is a plan view .of the opposite. side thereof.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates what may bel termed the flange portion .of the ball member ofthe fastenenand 2 the ball of such member. The a'nge 1 and the ball 2 are -connected by' a neck 3, as'indicated, which is of less diameter than the 4 designates onel side of the socket member -of the fastener :which member is formed from a metallic disk or plate and is pro-y vided with a central opening 5. The opposite side of the socket member is formed by, bending the outer portion of the plate over and into close relation with'the side 4 andl consists of the solid portion 6 and the parts `7- which are integral with and extend inwardly from the portion 6. So constructed the outer edge of the portion 6 is integrally connected with the corresponding edge of the-side 4 of thesocket member. The parts 7 project through the opening 5 and are bent around the edge of the same,l the ends thereof projecting over the inner portion of the side 4 surrounding the opening 5 as shown at 9.

Although the side which consists of the parts 6 and 7- together with the ends 9 of the latter which are bent or turned over the edge of the openin 5 constitute the spring element of the soc et member of, the fastener, yetv such member is so shaped and constructed 'from a single plate of metal that the spring action vthereof required to hold the 'ball of the coperating ball member is involved in the integrality of the structure.

For the purpose of protecting the ends of the bent over parts 9, and securing flatness, the inner edge portion of the side 4 surrounding the spring 5 may be depressed, as

indicated at Vl0, toward the vparts y'7. Although its presence is preferred, yet such depression may be omitted if desired without departing from my invention in its broader aspect.

Preferably, as shown in Fig. 3, the portions 9 are extended through the opening 5 a distance over and beyond the inner edge of the depressed portion 10 of the side 4 and arethen bent over so that the ends thereof` providing such spaces between the bends of the over turned parts 9 and the edge of the opening 5 and by bending the' parts 9 to curvatures having -radii ofl considerable length, the efficiency of the spring action is enhanced and provision is made fora receding movement of the parts projecting through the opening 5 to permit the passafre of the ball of the ball member through t e opening in the socket member betweenthe said parts.

` By means of the construction as thus described, I provide convex surfaces which extend transversely of the plane of the socket member of the fastener and which are arranged inside of and around the edge of the opening 5 and which are well adapted for engagement withthe under side of the ball 2 and the neck 3 of the ball member. It is preferred that such convex surfaces should substantially fill the space between the ball 2 and the flange 1 surrounding the neck 3 so as to hold the said flange relatively close to the adjacent side of the socket member and so asto prevent rocking or tilting of the socket and ball members with respect to each ,otherf It should be understood that the ball 2 need not be of the shape shown, but maybe of any shape which will permit it to passbet-ween the spring-holding parts of the socket member and be held firmly by the engagement of such parts with the neck 3 and with said ball. v

' While I prefer that the ball 2 of the ball member should be inserted through the opening in the socket member from the side constituted of the parts 6 and 7 yet it may be inserted from the opposite side of the said socket member. The latter member operates equally well and with equal eiliciency whether the ball be inserted therethrough from one side or the other.

The socket member, as illustrated, is provided With six projecting parts 7 but it By so extending should be. understood that the number of such parts may be increased or diminished, within limits, as desired without materially affecting the efficiency of the fastener.

I have also shown the edges of the parts 7 in the completed fastener in contact or nearly so but it should be understood that they may be spaced from each other if such spacing should be desired.

I have provided thread holes l5 in the ball and socket members of the fastener by means of which such members may be secured to an article by threads sewed therethrough. These holes may be formed at any convenient or desired stage in the process of the manufacture of the fasteners and their number may be increased or diminished as desired. It will also be understood that any other convenient means may be employed for securing the same to the article.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The socket member of a snap fastener consisting of a metallic plat-e having an opening therethrough, the metal of the said plate surrounding the said opening being depressed, and the outer portion of said yplate being bent over and into operative relation to the inner port-ion thereof, the said outer bent over portion having parts which extend through and are bent around the edge of said opening, the ends of the said parts being located in the depression formed around the said opening.

2. The socket member of a snap fastener consisting of a single plate having an opening therethrough at its center and the outer portion of which plate is bent over into operative relation to the central portion thereof, the integral bend connecting the said portions constituting the outer edge of the said member and said outer bent over portion bein provided with spring holding parts which project through said opening.

3. The socket member of a snap fastener consisting of a plate having an opening at the center thereof and the outer portion of which plate is bent over and is in operative relation to the central portion thereof, the integral bend connecting the said portions constitutin the outer edge of said member, and the sa1d outer portion being provided 'with projections which extend through said opening and are bent over and around the edge of the same and constitute the holding parts of the member. y

4. The socket member of a snap fastener which consists of two thicknesses of metallic plate arranged in approximate parallel relation to each other, the outer edges of which are integrally connected and one of which thicknesses of plate is provided with a central-opening and the other of which is vprovided with pointed projections. which edge of the said opening and are spaced therefrom.

`5. The socket member of a snap fastener which consists of two thicknesses of metal- Alic plate, the outer edges of which are in.

tegrally lconnected and one of Which thicknesses of plate is provided with a central' opening and the other with projections Which extend through andare bent around 'the edge of 'the said opening and are spaced therefrom, and the adjacent edges of said projections upon one side of said socket member being arranged in close relation to each other and -upon the opposite side of the said socket member being separated and divergent from each other.

6. The socket member of a snap fastener consisting of a metallic plate having acentral portion provided With an opening therein' and aportion bent over and into operative relation to the said centralportion, the bend connecting the said portions i constituting the outer edge of the said member and the said bent over portion being provided With projections Which projections are bent and extended through the said opening and are curved around the edge of the same, the radius of curvature being relatively large, whereby the bent over pro-l jections are normally out of contact with the edge of` the said opening and are also out of contact With the portion of the plate surrounding said edge.

7. The socket member of a snap fastener consisting of a plate having a central opening therethrough and having prongs projecting from the edge of said plate inwardly theieover and being extended through the said opening and bent around the edge thereof, the said prongs being operatively related to the portion of the said plate surrounding the said opening.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have hereunto signed my name this 19th day of July, A. D. 1911.

, JAMES P. WILLIAMS.

In the presence offi EDWARD J. FISHER,

CYRUS N. ANDERSON. 

